Halloween’s Latest Urban Legend: Pot Candy

Back in the day, Halloween used to invoke terror in the minds of parental figures who believed that razor blades were being discovered in trick-or-treat candy all across America. Now, the latest threat to the costumed youth on the nation’s most evil holiday is the possibility that they may receive marijuana-infused edibles disguised as some of their favorite sweets.

At least this is the October madness the Denver Police Department is attempting to spread in the Mile High City this Halloween season by posting a video featuring Patrick Johnson, the owner of Urban Dispensary, who advises parents to inspect their children’s candy and throw away anything that appears to have been tampered with. “There’s really no way to tell the difference between candy that’s infused and candy that’s not infused,” says Johnson, adding that it is difficult for even experts to determine, on sight alone, if candy contains THC.

While Johnson’s video is a simple reminder for moms and dads to do what parents have been doing for decades — check their children’s Halloween candy before allowing them to eat it — the Denver Police Marijuana Unit used the video as an opportunity to spread some propaganda and induce fear. In a segment published by the Denver Police News, Detective Aaron Kafer said, “If you see something that doesn’t look right – apples, gummy bears – there’s a ton of edible stuff that’s out there on the market that’s infused with marijuana that could be a big problem for your child.” Therefore, it is a good idea for parents to thoroughly inspect their children’s trick-or-treat candy, and not allow them to “consume anything that is out of the package.”

The mainstream media is certainly not helping set the minds of nervous parents at ease. Earlier this week, CNN published a report on the issue, entitled “Tricks, Treats and THC Fears in Colorado,” in which they hype the idea that parents should be concerned about the possibility of their children getting their hands on marijuana edibles this Halloween.

However, as Jacob Sullum wrote in his latest column for Forbes, even though law enforcement agencies have been warning parents for years to look out for edibles laced with marijuana, “as far as I can tell, there has not been a single documented case in which someone has tried to get kids high by doling out THC-tainted treats disguised as ordinary candy.”

While the Denver Police Department continues to caution parents about the potential for unsavory characters slipping marijuana edibles into their child’s Halloween bag this year, Ron Hackett, a representative for the force, admits there have not been any cases of this type of thing actually happening. “This is our first year with [recreational] edibles, and we just kind of wanted to put it out there as a reminder,” he said. “It’s just something that we really wanted to get out there and get ahead of, because kids will eat anything.”

In the end, the threat of children getting high off Halloween candy is just another way for the heavy handed powers that be to frighten the average citizen into believing that the War on Drugs is necessary to protect the well-being of the youth of America. What’s really offensive is that it paints a portrait of the cannabis user as being a criminal degenerate who gets his kicks getting the neighborhood kids high on dope – nothing could be further from the truth. While it is certainly always a good idea to inspect your children’s candy to ensure their safety, finding marijuana-infused edibles or even razor blades is highly unlikely.